To be honest, it wasn’t as if Yun Chuji had never held Tang Jianxi before. There had even been times when they’d embraced, naked. Nor was it the first time she’d had wicked thoughts; there had even been times when she’d acted on them.
But on those occasions, she would always attribute the reason and the impulse to this new body of hers.
It was the body’s wicked thoughts, not hers.
It was the pheromones’ impulse, not hers.
Now, however, she understood that pheromones were not so dominant. Even for people in the ABO era, emotional needs still took precedence.
So, as far as her emotions were concerned, did she want to be close to Miss Tang?
Cradling this soft, faintly fragrant body, Yun Chuji quietly asked herself.
She couldn’t deny it.
But what kind of emotion was this?
For a sister?
For an elder?
Or something else?
These thoughts flashed through Yun Chuji’s mind, but she didn’t dwell on them, still immersed in the embrace.
The two of them were like a pair of fledglings, huddled together on the soft carpet, far from all the world’s pressures and horrors.
And yet, some people were dedicated to creating them.
As the Third Princess, Lucia Hall had always had a smooth-sailing life, thanks mainly to her siblings, who were either cowards or fools. Anyone with a bit of foresight would know that she was the only one qualified to be the next emperor of the Empire.
Thank heavens there were more people with foresight in this world than there were fools.
Recently, however, she had run into trouble. That omega from the Tang family, Tang Jianshen, was proving to be quite a handful. Just as the rumors said, the man was a born businessman—insidious, cunning, and almost demonic in his intelligence, completely different from the usual, upstanding way the Tang family conducted their business.
Lucia had stumbled because of him.
It had taken her a great deal of effort to create the inhibitor called Warm-O. From the very beginning, she had pushed the cost to its absolute minimum, planning to use price to capture the market and thereby seize control of the omegas’ lifeline.
But she hadn’t expected that Tang Group would not only stoop to making such a low-quality product but would go a step further and create a whole series of tiered low-quality products. They even advertised the products’ inferiority, directly stating the inhibitor’s failure rate on the packaging.
What was most infuriating was that their cheapest inhibitor had a single line written on it: After numerous tests, this product’s failure rate is identical to Warm-O’s.
And now, Tang Group’s inhibitors had reclaimed the market. After all, while omegas wanted to save money, sometimes they also wanted to treat themselves a little better.
Thanks to this maneuver, Tang Group’s sales volume had actually increased due to the wider range of choices. This truly infuriated Lucia.
So I was just here to give you ideas, was I?
The prospect of reaping both people and profits from her original plan was shattered. Lucia could only start selling at a loss. Fortunately, while there were many lower-class omegas, they were still a minority compared to the total omega population. So this time, Tang Group didn’t follow suit—of course, they couldn’t afford to, either. They hadn’t even recouped the costs of their new production lines yet.
Finally, at least among the lower-class omegas, Warm-O’s market share had gained an absolute advantage.
Lucia took a triumphant sip of red wine, her strong legs propped up on a desk carved from a single block of amethyst-gold. Gazing at the sunset outside the window, a sense of pride once again filled her chest.
Hmph, businessmen are just businessmen. How could they understand the foresight of a politician?
The wool comes from the sheep’s back. Since all this money was earned from omegas anyway, it didn’t matter if it was thrown back at them. What was important was that as long as this inhibitor was popular in the Empire for ten years, then in ten years, after that group of old omegas in the military retired, she’d like to see how many successors they could find.
As for the omegas in aristocratic circles, Lucia thought with disdain, they were all just flowers in a greenhouse. Just a few days ago, they were head over heels for a commoner. Even if that commoner was an S-rank alpha, it only served to prove the pathetic nature of these so-called omega elites.
Asking this group to give up their limited-edition luxury goods and expensive jewelry to become electronic equipment soldiers in the army?
Hah, don’t be ridiculous. The positions in the Omega Legion were limited. There would always be places that required real work, and in those places, these young masters and misses would likely mess up as many posts as they filled.
Once she became emperor, she would surely complete the goal the Hall family had been striving for over the past century. Those delicate omegas should just stay home and obediently have children. At the same time, Lucia thought maliciously, a smart one like Tang Jianshen should have at least nine, for the sake of the Empire’s genetic lineage.
The Empire would turn a new page, and she, Lucia Hall, would go down in history.
After indulging in this triumphant vision of the future, Lucia’s sense of frustration greatly diminished. She lowered her legs and walked out of the study.
Tsk, that omega has run off somewhere again.
Lucia searched door by door. She was full of patience. She knew this omega couldn’t escape; the main door of the house could only be opened by her optical computer. In fact, the act of slowly closing in on her prey gave her considerable pleasure.
Finally, Lucia found him in the utility room.
The blond alpha leaned against the doorframe, a mocking light glinting in her azure eyes. Her face, which could be called perfect, was chilling in the half-light.
“Baby, you shouldn’t have stared so obsessively at that S-rank alpha on the StarNet.”
“When a puppy misbehaves, it must be punished. Otherwise, if it doesn’t recognize its master and happens to run away, it will have to brave the elements.”
The narrow room was lit by a single warm, yellow emergency light. A black-haired male omega sat in the corner, his posture ramrod straight. The visible skin was covered in bruises, and his lips were cut, yet he inexplicably gave off an impression of arrogance.
Even the look he gave Lucia was one of lofty contempt.
“A mere evil spirit,” he said coldly.
The first time Lucia heard such words, she might have gotten angry, perhaps even picked up a whip and beaten him from head to toe. But now, she had found a better method. She leaned leisurely against the doorframe, freely releasing her pheromones.
She knew there were no inhibitors or patches in this house because she didn’t allow them.
She just watched as this proud omega’s face slowly flushed.
As he slowly crawled toward her.
And finally said with a sob, “Please.”
Lucia squatted down, kissed his forehead, and said softly, “Tell me, what are you?”
“…”
“…”
“I am your dog.”
“Good boy.”
Lucia leaned down.
Ah, of course. Omegas… they’re all just like this.
S-District.
Tang Jianshen was still busy in his office. However, at seven o’clock, he uncharacteristically stopped all his work and walked out.
Everywhere he passed, he was met with the astonished gazes of his employees.
It was like seeing a robot suddenly come to life.
With a steel-like impassivity, Tang Jianshen ignored these curious looks. After getting into his pure black vehicle, he closed his eyes and headed to that familiar place.
He had arrived later than the other person, which made Tang Jianshen feel a little apologetic. After taking off his coat and setting it aside, he walked quickly toward the blond man who was drinking red wine.
Unlike Tang Jianshen’s aloof beauty, the blond male omega before him possessed a kind and approachable aura. His golden hair seemed to have the texture of sunlight, and his azure eyes were like the vast sky, as if they could contain everything.
Seeing Tang Jianshen, the male omega gave a gentle smile and said softly, “Jianshen, I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
The words themselves were a complaint, but his tone made one feel as if they had already been forgiven.
However, this only deepened the guilt in Tang Jianshen’s heart. He took the wine glass from the other’s hand, placed it on the table, and explained, “Work has been too busy lately.”
Feeling that this sentence was a bit too stark and impersonal, Tang Jianshen added, “Warm-O is pushing prices down so hard, a lot of things have to be redeployed.”
The male omega stroked his head upon hearing this. “Then I should have come another time.”
“You can come anytime.” Tang Jianshen nuzzled against his palm. “I’m happy to see you.”
This cat-like gesture of affection clearly pleased the male omega. He leaned down and exchanged a gentle kiss with Tang Jianshen.
Then he straightened up and said, a hint of flirtation in his voice, “This time, you or me?”
An alluring pink blush spread across Tang Jianshen’s icy face. “Clarence, I’ve been busy with work.”
Clarence understood his hint, and with a light laugh, he took his hand and led him toward the bed.
After their tender moments, the two lay in bed chatting as usual.
Tang Jianshen told Clarence about the recent problems he had solved, while Clarence complained about his foolish siblings.
“Especially Lucia. Oh, heavens, does she really think no one can see what she’s trying to do?”
“That idiot. She’s just a pawn for the Empress to test the nobles of the Omega Legion. And she’s still dreaming of taking the throne. With that kind of time, she’d be better off taking care of her illegitimate child out there.”
Hearing this, Tang Jianshen’s languid eyes suddenly sharpened. He recalled the Empire’s history, and the origins of the Omega Legion that Clarence mentioned, which dated back to the distant Activation War.
Among the articles of the treaty that ended the great war, the first and foremost was: Alphas own the Empire, omegas own the weapons.
Therefore, the Empire’s most advanced weaponry had always been under the control of the Omega Legion. No matter how many seats omegas lost in the Parliament under the torrent of history, these weapons had always been their untouchable bottom line, the very foundation of their freedom for hundreds of years.
And now, Lucia wanted to touch this? No wonder the Empire turned a blind eye to her obvious disruption of market rules.
Tang Jianshen instantly understood the motive behind Lucia’s self-destructive strategy. The drinker’s heart was not in the cup. He remembered Tang Jianxi’s initial outrage and realized that his sister was far more politically sensitive than he was.
Or perhaps, like him, she had been inspired by the person before him.
Tang Jianshen understood Clarence’s intention—it was simply to help him relax.
He moved closer, until their breaths mingled, and whispered, “Thank you.”
Clarence gently pinched his chin, his tone still warm. “Jianshen, you’re being too formal.”
It was a sleepless night.
The next day, Tang Jianshen woke up, controlled by his biological clock. After drinking a potion from the bedside table, the soreness in his body immediately faded a great deal.
Clarence groggily opened his eyes, his sleepy voice laced with an affectionate complaint. “Why are you leaving so early?”
Tang Jianshen fastened the last button on his shirt and looked back apologetically. “I have to work.”
Clarence sighed. “I really found myself an overly diligent lover.”
“And to think, he’s not even diligent with me.”
Tang Jianshen’s ears turned red, and he didn’t reply.
Once he was fully dressed, he came to the bedside and gave Clarence a farewell kiss.
As he stood up, he asked, as if it were an afterthought, “Do you know what Glory mainly does?”
Clarence yawned. “Isn’t it just that club my third sister and her unreliable friends started? Besides taking young omegas out to play every day, what serious business could they possibly have?”
Then, he looked at Tang Jianshen, propping his chin on his hand. His long golden hair cascaded beside his face, his eyes still heavy with sleep. “Why do you suddenly ask?”
Tang Jianshen tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and said softly, “It’s nothing. I just want to understand the Third Princess a little better.”
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